SHELBY – Earl Owensby Studios Inc., producer of dozens of feature films over the past four decades, faces foreclosure due to more than $40,000 in unpaid property taxes.

Owensby and his studio company owe thousands in unpaid taxes dating back to 2010 on a 65-acre lot off Old Boiling Springs Road and several thousand more in delinquent taxes dating back to 2011 on a nearby two-acre lot, according to county tax records.

“We just haven’t paid them yet,” Owensby told The Star on Wednesday. “We’re talking with (the county) and we will settle this.”

Owensby’s studio property has not yet been foreclosed, but the foreclosure process is under way, according to the county tax office.

“At this point, there’s nothing docketed,” said Kimberly Mullinax, paralegal for the Cleveland County tax office. “(Owensby’s) got every intent to pay it, and I’m confident he will.”

Mullinax said the process for completing a foreclosure case – which includes more than 30 steps, according to county documents – takes about six months, giving Owensby time to pay the delinquent tax money.

County authorities have visited the property to post a notice of docketing tax foreclosure judgment, which indicates the foreclosure process is under way.

If the delinquent tax money is not paid by March 1, the foreclosure process will continue with the filing of a judgment for delinquent taxes with the Cleveland County Clerk of Court’s Office, according to county documents.

If the taxes still are not paid 90 days after that filing, officials will request the authority from the clerk’s office to execute the foreclosure sale process.

“We’ll get it taken care of a little bit at a time,” Owensby said. “No way in the world am I going through a foreclosure.”

Owensby said he’s still working to attract film projects and produce movies on the property off Old Boiling Springs Road, where he’s worked since 1973.

* 1989’s “The Abyss,” written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, filmed scenes at Earl Owensby studios. The movie won a 1990 Oscar for best effects and visual effects, and it was nominated for Oscars for best art and set direction, best cinematography and best sound.

* “Seabo” (1978), “Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll” (1980), “Final Exam” (1981) and “The Last Game” (1984) also filmed at Owensby Studios.